First published 2021
Commodore Sarah Hunt commands the USS John Paul Jones on a routine patrol through the South China Sea when her crew spots a distressed trawler. That same March day in 2034, Marine pilot Major Chris "Wedge" Mitchell tests new stealth technology in his F35E Lightning near Iranian airspace. Within hours, Mitchell becomes an Iranian captive and Hunt's destroyer rests on the ocean floor, destroyed by Chinese forces. Iran and China have deployed devastating cyber weapons that cripple American military systems. The coordinated assault shatters America's confidence in its technological superiority. Hunt and Mitchell find themselves at the center of escalating global tensions as miscalculations by world powers push nations toward catastrophic conflict. The story follows Americans, Chinese, Iranians, Russians, and Indians as their leaders make fateful decisions. China and the United States will pay an enormous price that reshapes global power forever.
Genres: military-fiction, adventure, action, 21st-century, political-thriller, alternate-history
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: South China Sea, Iran, China, United States
Period: 2034
320 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press
Content warnings: violence, war